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How to Switch from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible
How to Switch from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible

Learn how to switch from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible with our step-by-step guide for a smooth and efficient transition.

Emmad avatar
Written by Emmad
Updated over a week ago

Table of Contents

Switching from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible offers a range of benefits, including more control over server and application management, cost flexibility, and a broader range of application support and customizations. This article provides a comprehensive checklist to guide you through the migration process, ensuring a smooth transition. You will learn about the necessary pre-migration preparations, data migration steps, DNS configuration, and post-migration tasks to leverage Cloudways Flexible's features fully.

This guide is designed to help you make the switch efficiently, whether you're seeking greater customization or specific configurations not available in Cloudways Autonomous.

What is Cloudways Flexible

Cloudways Flexible is a versatile, managed cloud hosting platform designed to provide businesses with unparalleled performance, flexibility, and reliability. Tailored for digital agencies, eCommerce stores, and online businesses, Cloudways Flexible offers a range of features that ensure optimal website performance and ease of management.

Cloudways Flexible Features

Cloudways Flexible is perfect for businesses seeking a versatile and customizable hosting solution. It offers the flexibility to choose from various cloud providers and server sizes, allowing you to tailor your hosting environment to your specific needs. With Cloudways Flexible, you gain access to advanced features, managed services, and robust performance, ensuring your website runs smoothly. This platform is ideal for businesses that require control over their hosting setup while benefiting from expert server management and support.

  1. Performance

    • Optimized Stack: Every server is powered by a fully optimized stack with advanced cache functionality, ensuring peak performance and fast loading times. You can also use CDN to give it a further boost.

    • Multiple Cloud Providers: Choose from top cloud providers like DigitalOcean, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Vultr, and Linode, allowing you to select the best infrastructure for your needs.

    • High Performance: Experience significant improvements in website performance and top-notch features.

  2. Flexibility

    • Wide Range of Applications: Host popular applications such as WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel, and custom PHP apps.

    • 1-Click Solutions: Easily deploy and manage applications, scale servers during peak traffic periods, and customize selective server and application settings with just a few clicks.

  3. Reliability

    • 24/7 Support: Access expert technical support at any time, ensuring your website runs smoothly without interruptions.

    • 99.99% Uptime: Benefit from world-class server security and uptime, giving you peace of mind that your website is always available.

    • Automated Backups: On-demand and automated backups ensure your data is safe and can be restored quickly if needed.

  4. Cost Efficiency

    • Competitive Pricing: Cloudways Flexible offers industry-best cost-to-performance value, providing all critical features needed for a successful online business at a reasonable price.

    • Flexible Plans: Choose from various plans to match your specific requirements and budget, with the ability to scale up as your business grows.

Tip

Cloudways Flexible is perfect for businesses seeking a versatile and customizable web hosting alternatives.

How to Switch from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible

Switching from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible involves several important steps to ensure a smooth transition and to take full advantage of the features that Cloudways Flexible offers, such as enhanced control over server management, cost flexibility, and a broader range of application support. Here's a comprehensive checklist to guide you through the process:

Step #1 — Back up Your Application

Before you begin the migration process from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible, ensure that you have a complete backup of your application and databases. This step is crucial to prevent data loss during the transition.

Click Here for a Step-by-Step Guide

How to Backup a Specific Application

In Cloudways Autonomous, the on-demand backup feature takes a backup of your application files and database. Here application files mean that only the public_html folder is backed up along with the database, and if you restore your application, then the restoration process is also applicable only to this folder and database.

Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your email address and password.

  1. From the top menu bar, open Applications.

  2. Then, choose your desired application.

  3. Next, click Workflow/Tools.

  4. Select Backup/Restore.

  5. Navigate to Backup.

  6. Next, click Take Backup Now to initiate the backup process.

  7. The backup processing time depends on the size of the application files and the database. You will be notified once the process is completed.

  8. You will also see the Last Backup Date, which can be used to verify that the on-demand application backup is successfully created. The last backup date will also get updated when a scheduled application backup is taken.

Step #2 — Launch Your Server and Application

Next, you need to launch a server and an application on Cloudways Flexible as this is an important step in this transition process. First, you need to choose which infrastructure is best for you and then launch a server and your application.

Click Here for a Step-by-Step Guide

Deploying a new application on the Cloudways Flexible Platform is super easy. First of all, please choose where you wish to deploy a new application, whether on a new server or an existing server.

New Server

You can follow this section for step-by-step instructions on how to launch your application on a new server. Alternatively, you can also review this video tutorial:

Step #1

Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your email address and password.

  1. From the top menu bar, open Servers.

  2. If this is your first time launching a server, you will click Launch to launch your first server.

    Classic Interface

    If this is not your first time launching a server, click Add Server.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

Step #2

You must select your desired application, cloud provider, and server size based on your requirements. Please follow the instructions below:

  1. First, select your desired application from our vast pool of applications. In this example, we have selected WordPress.

  2. Type the name of your app. In this example: Test 2, you can name anything you want.

  3. Type the name of your server. In this example: Test 2, you can name anything you want.

  4. Select your project. You may have created a project already after registering on Cloudways; you can choose that or create a new project.

  5. Now, you can pick one of the following cloud providers. We have chosen DigitalOcean in this example. If you need help with choosing the Cloud provider, then click here.

  6. Select server size as per your requirements. You can view the details of the server by hovering over each size.

  7. Select your desired server location from the drop-down menu. In this example, London is selected, as shown below.

Finally, review your monthly estimated cost and click Launch Now to get started. Moreover, if you have chosen AWS or GCE as your Cloud provider, then you also need to select Bandwidth and Storage limit.

Classic Interface

New Interface

Once done, your server and desired application will be deployed in the next few minutes.

Step #3

You can view your new application once the installation is completed by clicking the www button on the target server.

Classic Interface

New Interface

Existing Server

Step #1

Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your email address and password.

  1. From the top menu bar, open Servers.

  2. Select the desired server on which you want to install the new application.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  3. Now, click on the Grid icon located in the bottom right corner of the screen and then select Add App.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

Step #2

  1. Select your desired application from the drop-down list.

  2. Type the name of your app. In this example: Test 1, you can name anything you want.

  3. Select your project. You may have created a project already after registering on Cloudways; you can choose that or create a new one.

  4. Click on the Add Application button once done.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

    If you see any warning about package up-gradation of PHP or MySQL/MariaDB because of the application requirement, follow this guide.

  5. Your high-speed application will be ready in a few minutes, and you will get a notification once the application is successfully launched.

Important

Make sure that MySQL Service is running while the installation of the new application is underway. Otherwise, it will fail, and you will see the following error: MySQL service must be running to complete this operation.

Step #3

You can view your new application once the installation is completed on the server by clicking the www button on the target server.

Classic Interface

New Interface

Step #3 — Migrate Your Applications to Cloudways Flexible

Migrating your applications from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible is a very easy process. You have two options for migrating your WordPress applications to Cloudways Flexible:

Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin

You can use the free Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin to migrate your applications seamlessly. This method is ideal for users who are comfortable handling the migration and looking for a cost-effective solution.

Click Here for a Step-by-Step Guide

Migrating your WordPress website from Cloudway Autonomous to Flexible is very convenient with the WordPress Migrator Plugin at zero cost, no matter how many applications you migrate.

How to Use Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin

Step #1 — Install WordPress Migrator Plugin

Next, you must install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin on your existing WordPress application hosted on Cloudways Autonomous. Here’s how you can do it.

  1. Visit your WordPress admin panel and Log In with your credentials.

  2. Select Plugins.

  3. Click Add New.

  4. Next, search for Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin.

  5. Click Install Now.

  6. Once the plugin is installed, click Activate.

  7. Next, a migration wizard will appear where you can start inputting the information to kickstart the migration process, as shown in the next step.

  8. Suppose you clicked Activate but did not start adding information to the migration wizard, which is displayed immediately. In that case, you can locate the migration wizard again by selecting Cloudways Migrate from the sidebar in your WordPress admin panel.

Step #2 — Initiate Migration

Next, you will initiate the migration process after entering the following details:

  1. Enter your email address.

  2. Next, agree to the terms & conditions and privacy policy.

  3. Click Migrate.

    Here, you need to enter the following information in the form to initiate the migration:

  4. Next, choose your Platform: Cloudways Flexible

  5. Enter your Destination Site URL. This is the URL of the application that you launched on Cloudways Flexible in the earlier step.

  6. Enter your SFTP Host/Server Address. This is your Cloudways server’s IP address.

  7. Enter your Database Name.

    Tip:

    You can review this section to get application information.

  8. Next, enter your SFTP Username. Your SFTP username is your Master username.

  9. Enter your SFTP Password. This is your master user’s password.

  10. Under “HTTP Auth enabled?”, select No as we have not set up any password to visit the Cloudways-hosted application. If your Cloudways-hosted site is restricted and password-protected, select Yes and enter the username and password.

  11. Under “Any root directories you want to migrate?”, select Yes if you also want to migrate your custom non-WordPress directories present in the public_html directory. Otherwise, select No if you don’t wish to migrate your custom directories.

  12. Under "Migrate additional database tables," select Yes if you also want to migrate any additional database tables and mark them; otherwise, select No.

  13. Under “Is this site protected?”, select No if your current WordPress website on another host is not restricted and is not password-protected. If password-protected, select Yes and enter the username and password.

  14. Finally, click Migrate.

    Tip:

    You can review this section to get SFTP-related information.

How to Find Application Information?

To find your application information, follow these steps:

  1. From the top menu bar, open Servers.

  2. Then, choose the server where your desired application is deployed.

Classic Interface

New Interface

3. Next, click www.

4. Choose your application’s name.

Classic Interface

New Interface

Here, you will find your (4) Destination Application URL, (5) SFTP Host/Server Address (IP address), and (6) Database Name.

Classic Interface

New Interface

Under Application Details, you will find your (4) Destination Application URL.

Under SSH/SFTP, you will find your (5) SFTP Host/Server Address (IP address).

Under Database, you will find your (6) Database Name.

How to Find SFTP-Related Information?

To find SFTP username and password, follow these steps:

  1. From the top menu bar, open Servers.

  2. Then, choose and click the server where your desired application is deployed.

Classic Interface

New Interface

You will find your (7) SFTP Username and (8) SFTP Password here.

Classic Interface

New Interface

That’s it! The migration has successfully begun. The time required depends on the size of the data being migrated.

Managed Migration by Cloudways Experts

You can also request a managed migration, in which Cloudways' migration experts handle the entire process. This method is perfect for users who prefer a hands-off approach and want to ensure a hassle-free migration with professional oversight.

Both methods ensure that your applications are migrated securely and efficiently to Cloudways Flexible, allowing you to take advantage of its enhanced features and performance.

Step #4 — Test Your Application

Once the migration is completed, thoroughly test your application on the new Cloudways Flexible infrastructure to ensure it functions as expected. Please note that your new Flexible application will have new WP-admin credentials available on the Cloudways Platform. More information is here. This step is essential to identify and resolve any issues before taking your website live.

Tip

Are you having a problem viewing your site? Purge the Varnish cache from the Cloudways Platform.

Step #5 — Take Your Website Live

After testing, update your DNS settings to point your domain to the new application on Cloudways Flexible to take it live. This involves adding your domain to the Cloudways Platform and updating the DNS records with your domain registrar. Here are the steps you need to follow:

Add Your Domain & Update DNS Records

Log in to your Cloudways Platform, navigate to your Cloudways Flexible application, and add your domain. This step links your domain with your new application.

Next, log in to your domain registrar's control panel and update the DNS records to point to your domain to your Cloudways Flexible application. Remove any existing A, AAAA, or CNAME records, as they might cause a conflict.

For detailed steps on adding domains and managing DNS records, please look at the following resource: How to Take Your Website Live from Cloudways.

Click Here for a Step-by-Step Guide

Map Your Domain

Now, it's time to take your site live with your domain. This involves simple steps, such as adding your domain(s) to the Cloudways Platform and pointing those domains to Cloudways using the DNS records.

  1. From the top menu bar, open Servers.

  2. Next, choose the server where your desired application is deployed.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  3. Click www.

  4. Next, choose your application name.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  5. Under Application Management, select Domain Management.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  6. Next, click Add Domain.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  7. Now, add your domain. You can add a root domain, e.g., cloudways.icu or a subdomain, e.g., support.cloudways.icu. Alternatively, you can add a WildCard domain, e.g., *.cloudways.icu, which covers all the subdomains simultaneously instead of adding each domain individually.

    Once done, click Add Domain.

    Tip

    Adding a root domain, e.g., cloudways.icu, will automatically cover the domain with a www alias.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  8. If you have any additional domains associated with the same application, e.g., cloudways.co.uk or app.cloudways.icu, you can add them here by clicking Add Domain. These additional domains will be added as an alias.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  9. Next, you need to make one of your domains a primary domain. Then, all the other domains will be added as an alias. You can learn about the differences between primary and alias domains.

    You navigate to your desired domain and click ⋮ More Options. Next, select Make Primary to make your domain a primary domain.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

    Next, click Set as Primary to confirm the selection.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

Manage Your DNS Records

DNS refers to the Domain Name System, which takes a human-understandable domain name such as “cloudways.com” and translates it to an IP address (35.178.xx.xx) of the server where the website is hosted. For this purpose, we create DNS entries usually hosted at a third-party DNS/Domain registrar service of your choice, like DNS Made Easy, Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.

In this post, we’ll show how to create an A record to map an IP address (IPv4 address) to a domain or subdomain. We are assuming you have already launched an application on the Cloudways Platform and added your domain(s). If not, follow our take site live checklist.

Tip

  • Please note that the Domain Registrar is the company from where you purchased your domain, while the DNS records can be hosted at the same domain registrar or any third-party service.

We have created two flows so you can easily add A records if you are using the DNS Made Easy Addon of Cloudways or if you are using any other third-party DNS registrar provider. Please select your preferred option:

DNS Made Easy

The first step is to add your domain so you can add the A records. If your domain has already been added, you can skip to the next step.

Step #1 – Add Domain(s)

Here's how you can add domain(s) to manage them using DNS Made Easy:

  1. First, click Add Domain.

  2. Next, enter your domain, e.g., example.com. If you want to add multiple domains, you can click Add Domain and bulk add up to 10 domains.

  3. Finally, click Save Changes.

  4. Once your domain is added, it will appear as 'Inactive'. Now, you need to add the DNS Made Easy nameservers in your DNS registrar panel. The DNS registrar is the company from where you purchased your domain, e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc,.

    Next, click Configure Nameservers.

  5. Here, you'll find the nameservers that need to be copied and added to your DNS registrar panel. While we recommend adding all the provided nameservers, if your DNS registrar limits the number you can add, we suggest incorporating the maximum allowable nameservers.

  6. Our domain was purchased from Namecheap, so we are adding these nameservers on Namecheap.

  7. After adding the nameservers, you may need to wait as it takes 24-48 hours for the nameservers to propagate across the network. Once nameservers are propagated, you will see an 'Active' status against your domain.

    After nameservers propagation, the next step is to manage your domain from the Cloudways Platform and add DNS records to take your website(s) live.

Step #2 – Add A Records

  1. First, click the (ellipsis) icon to reveal more options and click Manage Records.

  2. Next, click Add Record.

  3. Next, you can start adding the A records you need. First of all, select the Record Type as A record.

  4. Now, add all the required information as per your chosen record type. You can review some sample A records given below.

  5. Finally, click Save Changes.

    Tip:

    To add multiple records at once, please click Add Record.

    Here are some sample A records:

    Point the following A Record if you want to point a root domain (yourdomain.com) to the IP address:

    Type: A
    Host/Name: @ or blank
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Default or select of your choice

    Point the following A Record if you want to point a domain with www (www.yourdomain.com) to the IP address:

    Type: A
    Host/Name: www
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Default or select of your choice

    Point the following A Record if you want to point a subdomain (blog.yourdomain.com) to the IP address:

    Type: A
    Host/Name: blog (any subdomain)
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Default or select of your choice

    Point the following A Record if you want to use a wildcard. A wildcard record acts as a catch-all record, which means that it resolves every subdomain you haven’t defined to an IP address.

    Type: A
    Host/Name: *
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Default or select of your choice

    You have learned how to add the A records. Please note that it may take 24-48 hours for the DNS records to propagate across the network.

Other DNS Registrars

Accessing the DNS management panel can vary depending on the chosen service. Still, the process of creating a DNS record should not vary much. Here, we will use the domain “cloudways.icu” hosted on Namecheap for demonstration purposes.

Step #1 – Access your DNS Management Panel

  1. Log in to your Domain Registrar Panel.

  2. Select your target domain and visit the DNS management section.

Step #2 – Create an A Record

  1. Create your new A records here. We have given some sample A records below for your help:

    Point the following A Record if you want to point a root domain (yourdomain.com) to the IP address:

    Type: A
    Host/Name: @ or blank
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Automatic/Default or select of your choice

    Point the following A Record if you want to point a domain with www (www.yourdomain.com) to the IP address:

    Type: A
    Host/Name: www
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Automatic/Default or select of your choice

    Point the following A Record if you want to point a subdomain (blog.yourdomain.com) to the IP address:

    Type: A
    Host/Name: blog (any subdomain)
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Automatic/Default or select of your choice

    Point the following A Record if you want to use a wildcard. A wildcard record acts as a catch-all record, which means that it resolves every subdomain you haven’t defined to an IP address.

    Type: A
    Host/Name: *
    Value/Target: Your IP address (available in application information)
    TTL: Automatic/Default or select of your choice

  2. Make sure to save all the changes. Once you have added or updated the DNS records, it may take up to 24 hours for your changes to be effective across the internet.

How to Check DNS Records Propagation Status

You can check the status of your DNS records or particular A Records propagation by using any third-party tool such as whatsmydns.net.

Step #6 — Secure Your Site Using HTTPS

This is an essential step in your journey to build your website; an unsecured website is very vulnerable and risky for your customers and online activity. Learn what SSL/TLS is and why you should use it.

Cloudways Platform offers an out-of-the-box Free Let's Encrypt SSL Certificate for all your applications, so you are secured from day one. Let's Encrypt Certificates are free and get automatically renewed upon expiry. Alternatively, you can also use your Custom SSL certificate, which must be bought from any Certificate Authority (CA) or certificate vendor.

Once your SSL certificate is configured, you must ensure HTTPS redirection is in place. Cloudways Platform will prompt you to do this right after installing the SSL certificate, or you can manually force HTTPS redirection through application settings later.

Tip
Switch to Cloudways, one of the best alternatives to Godaddy.

That's it! We hope this article was helpful. If you need any help, then feel free to search your query on Cloudways Support Center or contact us via chat (Need a Hand > Send us a Message). Alternatively, you can also create a support ticket.


Switching from Cloudways Autonomous to Cloudways Flexible is simple and cost effective. Explore Cloudways' Pricing and make the move today! Check Pricing.

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